Overview of Zephaniah: The Fearsome Day of the Lord’s Anger

The Book of Zephaniah merges together a vision of short term judgment on Judah for her refusal to repent and seek after the Lord in humility and righteousness with a vision of the eschatological Day of the Lord. There will be fearsome judgment upon all the nations coupled with a purification of the Lord’s remnant that will lead to unparalleled blessing. The name of the prophet in the Hebrew means “the Lord hides.”

If judgment begins at the people of God, one can only imagine how fearsome will be the Lord’s anger when it is unleashed against those who have shunned His name and oppressed His people. The thickness of the gloom of the graphic descriptions of the coming Day of the Lord gives way to the brilliant light of the day of the Lord’s blessing upon His purified people. We need to be constantly exhorted to seek after the Lord and His righteousness; to replace pride with humility; to live in a spirit of triumphant exultation as we await the coming victorious warrior.

BACKGROUND:

Baxter: Outline: Through Judgment to Blessing

I. Look Within! – Wrath Coming on Judah (i.1 – ii.3)

The Purpose of Jehovah to Judge (1-6)

The “Day” of Jehovah “at hand” (7-18)

II. Look Around! – Wrath on All Nations (ii.4 – iii.8)

West, East – Philistia, Moab, Ammon (4-11)

South, North – Ethiopia and Assyria (12-15)

III. Look Beyond! – After Wrath, Healing (iii.9-20)

Conversion of Gentile Peoples (9)

Restoring of Covenant People (10-15)

Morgan: What then is the message that Zephaniah delivered to his own day? It is a message of the unity of the divine method. We see God’s absolute refusal to excuse sin because of His love, and we see His love acting in consuming wrath in order to secure the final realization of its most tender purpose. If you cut out that last part of Zephaniah, then he has no distinctive message. It is not the first part, but the second part, of the prophecy that is the message of Zephaniah. It is that peculiar union formed by the denunciation of sin that is so severe, and the annunciation of love that is so tender. These two together give us the great message that Zephaniah delivered to his people: love cannot excuse sin, but love will at last find a way to realize its purpose in spite of all the sin of the people.

THE DAY OF THE LORD BRINGS JUDGMENT, PURIFICATION AND BLESSING

“Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger.” (2:3)

(1:1-6) INTRODUCTION: JUDGMENT IS COMING FOR JUDAH . . . FOR THE WORLD

TWO PRONOUNCEMENTS OF JUDGMENT MERGED TOGETHER IN A DENUNCIATION OF IDOLATROUS TRANSGRESSIONS